From the other thread (and thanks for starting a new one as the topic drifted) I take it that you have a setup with one wired (1Gbps) and four cellular connections (each with its own modem).
Depending on what you need from the cellular connections there are various options. But at the outset there is the basic question as to whether you are OK with an overall throughput of the router at 1 Gbps, or you need it to be capable of more.
Assuming that the budget is not too extravagant, here’s something that could work:
Equipment:
- Balance 20X CAT-7
- FlexModule Mini CAT-12 (or -18 or 5G)
- Transit Duo (or Duo Pro or an HD2). CAT-6 or -12
Architecture:
- B20X w/FlexModule (3 WANS - one wired, two cellular)
- Transit Duo or HD2 (2 cellular WANs) in synergy mode
Throughput: 1 Gbps of the B20X
Connections:
- Wired: 1Gbps
- Cellular:
- 1 x CAT-7 (built in)
- 1 x CAT-12/18/5G (FlexModule)
- (alternatively or additionally an external modem connected through the B20X USB port)
- 2 x CAT-12 (Transit Duo or HD2)
- (alternatively, if you employ the additional modem above: a transit CAT-18 or 5G or a BR1 5G)
The 5G FlexModule is likely overkill speed-wise, since the internal connection (the USB) anecdotally limits the speed to 2-300 Mbps.
Budget?
You can reuse one of your 5G modems using the USB port (see the alternative above).
And I’d think real hard about why I‘d want four cellular connections in addition to the wired one, given that the router is limited to 1Gbps. FWIW: I am currently working off an architecture with five connections (3 x Verizon, 2 x TMO), but that is principally because of reliability (redundancy) + overall bandwidth (I am in the mountains of California, far from wires).
Besides the market for new devices, there are frequently used devices for sale, both transits and HD2s (drop me a line and I can check what I have in the closet :-)). But be careful - there are frequently units that are registered with someone’s InControl2, a flag indicating that something is not quite right.
With the above architecture you end up with a single point of administration (the B20X) that handles all the connections. Which is really appealing (at least to me).
If core redundancy is an issue (I noted that you kept a router at hand for that), consider getting a second B20X and deploy it in high availability mode. The failover would be quick and you’d retain most of your connections (depending on how generous you are with your SIM cards).
Good luck,
Z
PS: I would not call the Balance One with five WANs throughput of 400Mbps “abysmal.” It is the spec after all, and a reasonable one (particularly given the date of the device). I understand that it does not perform up to your current use case, but such is the fate of technology evolution, isn’t it?